Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yobay City’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Yobay City’, characterized by its upright and uniformly mounded plant habit; dark green and glossy foliage; uniform flowering response; early flowering, eight-week response time; large daisy-type inflorescences that are about 7.9 cm in diameter; purple and white bi-colored ray florets and bright yellow disc florets; and excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining good substance and color for at least three weeks in an interior environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Yobay City’.

The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding programconducted by the Inventors in Salinas, Calif. and Fort Myers, Fla. Theobjective of the breeding program is to create new potted Chrysanthemumcultivars that are suitable for year-round production with uniform plantgrowth habit, desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fastresponse time, and excellent postproduction longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross made by the Inventors inMay, 1993, in Salinas, Calif., of a proprietary Chrysanthemum seedlingselection identified as code number YB-4168, not patented, as thefemale, or seed, parent with the Chrysanthemum cultivar Mobile,disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,335, as the male, or pollen, parent.The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventors as asingle flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grown in acontrolled environment in Fort Myers, Fla. in November, 1996. Theselection of this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit,desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast response time,andexcellent postproduction longevity. Plants of the new Chrysanthemumdiffer from plants of both parents primarily in ray floret coloration.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttingswas first conducted in Fort Myers, Fla. in February, 1997. Asexualreproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this newChrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Yobay City has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or lightlevel, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Yobay City’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Yobay City’ as a new and distinctChrysanthemum:

1. Upright and uniformly mounded plant habit.

2. Dark green and glossy foliage.

3. Uniform flowering response.

4. Early flowering, eight-week response time.

5. Large daisy-type inflorescences that are about 7.9 cm in diameter.

6. Purple and white bi-colored ray florets and bright yellow discflorets.

7. Excellent postproduction longevity with plants maintaining goodsubstance and color for at least three weeks in an interior environment.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of theChrysanthemum cultivar New Yoorleans, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No.11,215. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventors inSalinas, Calif., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants ofthe cultivar New Yoorleans in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more compact than plants of thecultivar New Yoorleans.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have a more uniform spray formationthan plants of the cultivar New Yoorleans.

3. Under low light or high temperature conditions, ray floret color ofthe new Chrysanthemum retention is better than ray floret colorretention of the cultivar New Yoorleans.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of theChrysanthemum cultivar Tijuana, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,083.In side-by-side comparisons conducted by the Inventors in Salinas,Calif., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of thecultivar Tijuana in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more compact and more outwardlyspreading than plants of the cultivar Tijuana.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are stronger and sturdier than plantsof the cultivar Tijuana.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have thicker, darker green andglossier foliage than plants of the cultivar Tijuana.

4. Ray floret color of the new Chrysanthemum is more blue purple thanray floret color of Tijuana.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newChrysanthemum.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a top perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Yobay City’ grown a natural spray-type.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical inflorescences of ‘Yobay City’ grown as a natural spray-type.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the lateautumn in Salinas, Calif., in a fiberglass-covered greenhouse and underconditions which approximate those generally used in commercial pottedChrysanthemum production. During the production of these plants, thefollowing conditions were measured: day temperatures, 21 to 27° C.;night temperatures, 17 to 19° C.; and light levels, 4,000 to 6,000foot-candles. Four unrooted cuttings were directly stuck in 15-cmcontainers, exposed to long day/short night conditions, and pinched onceabout 14 days later. At that time, the photoinductive short day/longnight treatments were started. Plants used for this description weregrown as natural spray-types. Measurements and numerical valuesrepresent averages of typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Yobay City.

Commercial classification: Daisy-type potted Chrysanthemum.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary Chrysanthemum×morifolium seedlingselection identified as code number YB-4168, not patented.

Male, or pollen, parent.— Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Mobile,disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,335.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten days at 21° C.

Root description.—Fibrous and well-branched.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Herbaceous daisy-type potted Chrysanthemum typically grownas a natural spray-type. Stems upright and outwardly spreading giving auniformly mounded appearance to the plant. Freely branching, about fourlateral branches develop after removal of terminal apex (pinching);dense and full plants. Moderate vigor. Relatively compact.

Plant height.—About 23 cm.

Plant width.—About 39.5 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 18 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Internodelength: About 2.4 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate. Quantity of leaves perlateral stem: About 10. Length: About 7.4 cm. Width: About 6.6 cm. Apex:Cuspidate. Base: Mostly truncate to attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed,sinuses between lateral lobes mostly divergent. Texture: Upper and lowersurfaces with very fine pubescence; veins prominent on lower surface.Thick and leathery. Color: Young foliage, upper surface: Much darkerthan 147A; glossy. Young foliage, lower surface: 147A. Mature foliage,upper surface: Much darker than 147A; glossy. Mature foliage, lowersurface: Darker than 147B. Venation, upper surface: 147A. Venation,lower surface: 147B. Petiole length: About 2 cm. Petiole diameter: About3 mm. Petiole color: 147B.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Daisy-type inflorescence form with elongated oblong-shapedray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage. Disk andray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum. Not fragrant. Typicallygrown as a natural spray-type.

Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower in theautumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other times of the year,inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under shortday/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Earlyflowering; plants exposed to two weeks of long day/short nightconditions followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditionsflower about eight weeks later.

Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color andsubstance for at least three weeks in an interior environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering, about 5 inflorescencesdevelop per lateral stem, or about 20 inflorescences per plant.

Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 6 mm. Diameter: About 8 mm. Color:Close to 143A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 7.9 cm. Depth (height): About 1.3cm. Diameter of disc: About 1.9 cm. Receptacle diameter: About 7 mm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong. Orientation: Initially upright,then about 65° from vertical. Aspect: Initially incurved, then mostlyflat. Lenght: About 3.7 cm. Width: About 1.1 cm. Corolla tube length:About 1 mm. Apex: Emarginate. Base: Attenuate; very short corolla tube.Margin: Entire. Texture: Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Number of ray floretsper inflorescence: About 22 arranged in one row. Color: When opening,upper and lower surfaces: Apex, mid-section and longitudinal stripestowards base, 77A; base and longtiudinal lines toward mid-section, 155D.Fully opened, upper surface: Apex, mid-section and longitudinal stripestowards base, 70A to 71A; base and longitudinal lines towardmid-section, 155D. Color does not fade with subsequent development.Fully opened, lower surface: Apex, mid-section and longitudinal stripestowards base, 155D underlain with 77A; base and longitudinal linestoward mid-section, 155D.

Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle. Shape:Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed. Length: About 6 mm. Width: Apex,about 2 mm; base, about 1 mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence:About 155. Color: Immature: Close to 154A. Mature: Apex: 9A.Mid-section: 145D. Base: 155D.

Peduncles.—Length: First peduncle: About 4.9 cm. Fourth peduncle: About7.1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Angle to vertical: About 45° fromvertical. Strength: Strong, flexible. Color: Close to 143A to 146A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 12A. Pollen amount: None. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and discflorets.

Seed.—Seed production has not been observed.

Disease resistance: Resistance to pathogens common to Chrysanthemums hasnot been observed on plants grown under commercial greenhouseconditions.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Yobay City’, as illustrated and described.